O’Neil, who has worked with the township 11 years, said he did not recall any investment in that building during that time.

“The property was not kept up. It’s deteriorated and tired,” he said.

In December, the Bloomfield Township Kmart, the former Roma Hall, at 2101 S. Telegraph Road north of Square Lake Road, closed. Reader Dave Page tweeted a suggestion that a super Kroger would be welcome there.

Shoppers had watched as that store added and then withdrew groceries, and later became a Sears outlet.

“We close individual stores occasionally from time to time,” said Howard Riefs, corporate communications director. He added that the store buildings in Bloomfield Township and White Lake were leased to Kmart.

The original Bloomfield Township Kmart site plan was approved by the township board in September, 1992, according the township building officials. The owner of the 113,000-square-foot store is Stamford United of Bingham Farms.

The White Lake Kmart, owned by KM of Milford of Elmhurst, N.Y., has been around since the mid-1980s, according to O’Neil.

The landlords for both stores did not respond to inquiries about the buildings’ futures.

O’Neil doesn’t believe newer stores which opened east of the Highland Township Kmart impacted its business.

He said the Walmart located just two miles east of Kmart on Highland Road is a different story. That company did reinvest in recent years.

“They fixed it up, added groceries and it’s a nice store,” he said.

The Kmart, O’Neil said, is in a prime location in the township and wouldn’t have to be sold as one building.

“It could be parceled out. There are options,” he said. “Let’s utilize that large parking lot, put businesses in the outlot.”

“It’s unfortunate to see any business close, but it brings new possibilities.”

Retail experts state that store closings are taking place due to the overgrowth of the U.S. retail industry before the recent recession and also as a result of growth of Internet and mobile shopping, according to Retailindustry.about.com. The Barnes and Noble in Royal Oak is also closing soon, and workers at area Radio Shacks are waiting to see which stores will close.

Kmart has been attempting to keep up in the past decade.

In November, 2004, Kmart announced it would buy Sears for $11 billion.

At the time, the deal made the stores the nation’s third-largest retailer, behind Walmart and Home Depot,

Since then, both stores have announced closures. An online search revealed Kmart and Sears closings nationwide in 2011 and 2012.